Texas Revelator Tower

cactusjack · « **on:** 20 Mar 2009, 02:38 am »

I am in Houston and have been following Fred's progress on the towers but have not heard anything in quite a while. Has anyone else completed a pair? I hope to hear Fred's soon but would love to hear how others find them.
I was at the meeting that stirred Fred to utilize his excellent speaker building capabilities and get Rick to design a tower that used high end drivers. Hate to see this thread die. I kinda picture a set of these in my future.

Ray Collins · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 03:36 am »

I agree...Fred????

Ray

FredT300B · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 11:41 am »

Quote from: Ray Collins on 20 Mar 2009, 03:36 am

I agree...Fred????

My middle name is procrastination. I was planning to paint the front panels and winter caught up with me, so I left them in the garage for a couple of months. Well, the humidity of a Houston Texas winter caused the veneer to bubble up in a few places, and I need to fix those spots. An easy job, but somebody has since borrowed my clamps, and I'll need the clamps to fix the veneer. The drivers and crossovers stayed inside so they are unscathed by the weather.

I did listen to them for a few weeks before removing the drivers for enclosure finishing, and they sounded really good. They are among the least colored and most revealing speakers I've heard. Since people are waiting to hear them I'll make a commitment to retreive the clamps and have them fully repaired and playing by the end of April.

Ray Collins · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 06:26 pm »

Thanks for the update; looking forward to April.

Ray

rklein · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 07:49 pm »

Hi:

I too have the exact same drivers and crossovers which I bought from Rick at Selah sitting in three boxes in my loft.

I also intend to build this speaker. I probably will get it done in the next month so I too will report back my impressions.

Thanks,
rklein

Ray Collins · « **Reply #5 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 08:05 pm »

Even better!

Ray

cactusjack · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 09:48 am »

Fred:
Let me know if you need any help moving them during the finishing process.
Jack

FredT300B · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 01:18 pm »

They're completed and playing. It would be premature to offer a review, but the first characteristic I noticed was the absolute crystal clarity of the Air Circ tweeters. For my pair Rick used Clarity SA caps in the tweeter signal path.

bpape · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 01:27 pm »

Those look interesting. Some of my favorite drivers.

Are the woofs both crossed at the same place or is one just for lower frequencies?

Bryan

Rick Craig · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 02:07 pm »

Quote from: bpape on 26 Mar 2009, 01:27 pm

Those look interesting. Some of my favorite drivers.

Are the woofs both crossed at the same place or is one just for lower frequencies?

Bryan

2.5-way with the lower woofer crossing at a lower frequency.

Rick Craig · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 02:35 pm »

Quote from: FredT300B on 26 Mar 2009, 01:18 pm

They're completed and playing. It would be premature to offer a review, but the first characteristic I noticed was the absolute crystal clarity of the Air Circ tweeters. For my pair Rick used Clarity SA caps in the tweeter signal path.

Nice work Fred!

Ray Collins · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 02:38 pm »

Wow, great work and fast too. I was dreading the wait until the "end of April". Looking forward to a listening report.

Thanks for sharing,

Ray

cactusjack · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 01:10 am »

Fred:
They look super like all of your projects. I can't wait till you get them ready to give the club a listen. Hope they are all you expected.
Call you in the morning.
Jack

djdube525 · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 01:36 am »

Hi Fred,

Did you paint the front or is that a black vinyl veneer?

If you painted... sprayed? Or brush/roll of some sort?

Very nice job!

Dave

FredT300B · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 08:45 am »

Quote from: djdube525 on 27 Mar 2009, 01:36 am

Hi Fred,
Did you paint the front or is that a black vinyl veneer?
Dave

I used Rustoleum American Accents satin finish from a spray can. You can get it a Lowe's or Home Depot. It looks good in the picture, but it will need another rubbing with #0000 steel wool and then a second coat to look as good in person.

FredT300B · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 08:50 am »

Forgot to mention, the outrigger feet are from Sound City. The next larger size with the brass cones would have looked better, but the smallest ones with the spikes were on sale for half price when I got them, so the cost for outriggers for both speakers was only $100:
http://www.soundocity.com/index.html

cadobhuk · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 09:04 am »

What's the benefit of using any outriggers at all?

FredT300B · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 09:56 am »

Quote from: cadobhuk on 27 Mar 2009, 09:04 am

What's the benefit of using any outriggers at all?

http://www.soundocity.com/problems.html

rklein · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 Mar 2009, 09:16 pm »

They look great Fred!! I am glad that you have shared some pics of these speakers. I have been debating whether to go piano black on the front baffles with a veneer on the sides (like yours) or go the opposite like these...

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8448

Does putting the port in the front give you more freedom in regards to placement?

Thanks,

rklein

cactusjack · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 Mar 2009, 12:25 am »

I had the pleasure of hearing the Texas Revelator Towers at Freds yesterday. It was only a short preview but They were absolutely amazing. IMO there were three things that really impressed me about the Towers besides Fred's usual fine craftsmanship. First was the quality of sound of the tweeters. They are smooth and accurate. It shows that quality drivers really do make a difference. About 4 recordings into my ½ hour demo Fred said listen to the bass. He said that the scanspeak 7” revelators could go really low. Wow! They really did. I cannot remember any 7” woofer/s speaker I have heard that could handle the bass like these. Lastly they are really smooth. The low distortion drivers and the 4 ohm/8ohm combo of woofers really blend together nicely. Fred like a proud papa was right when he says they are some of the best he has ever built or owned. Rick at Selah has done a yoeman's job designing the Texas Revelator Tower. Went home and started working on the wife right away. I want a pair!